I love hearty Southern food, so it takes a lot to say that a salad is one of my favorite dishes—but this BBQ Chicken Salad recipe is just that good. It combines fresh flavor with crunchy Fritos corn chips and easy rotisserie chicken to save time.
The creamy BBQ ranch dressing pulls everything together with a smoky flavor no one can resist.
Table of Contents
- 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
- 🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat BBQ chicken salad
- Marye's Tip o' the day
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 🍽️ Perfect pairings: what to serve with
- 🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- BBQ chicken salad combines all the best flavors of grilling out but is done in just 10 minutes with no cooking required.
- It's hearty enough to be a delicious lunch or dinner and it always goes first at potlucks for when you get "stuck" bringing salad!
- Using a rotisserie chicken saves time, but you can also use leftover chicken breasts or frozen precooked meat.
I love this flavorful dinner salad recipe for those days when I'm just not feeling up to cooking. It has a delicious, crisp texture and is a great way to make eating veggies fun—without sacrificing flavor, of course!
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- Add whatever veggies you like: try cherry tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, sliced bell pepper, green onions, or even a squeeze of lime juice.
- Fry some bacon and crumble it over top for an extra hearty salad.
- Instead of Fritos, you can use crispy tortilla strips or gently crushed tortilla chips—like the leftovers from Mexican takeout last week!
- Use your favorite BBQ sauce—pick one you like, as it'll flavor the salad accordingly. Or, try my Homemade Dr Pepper Barbeque Sauce recipe.
- Feel free to use frozen (and thawed) or canned (and drained) corn kernels. You could even grill fresh ears of corn if you'd like.
- Picky eaters? Swap the red onion for crispy onions if you think that'll do the trick. Otherwise, just add 'em last minute to individual servings!
🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Combine ranch dressing and barbeque sauce.
Add ingredients (except for chips) to a serving bowl.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad.
Toss to combine. Add chips and more dressing.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
When making my favorite salads, I toss them at the last minute. You can meal prep ingredients in advance (like chopping chicken and draining the beans) but wait to combine everything so it all keeps fresh and crisp.
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- Large bowl
- Small
mixing bowl - Salad tongs
🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat BBQ chicken salad
Salads are best served as soon as you prep 'em. Romaine lettuce starts to wilt under creamy dressing, and the chips will get a little soft, too.
However, if you have leftovers you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy it the next day.
If you want to make your salad last for a day or two longer, leave the barbecue ranch dressing on the side. Add it to each serving of salad instead of the whole thing.
Store leftover dressing in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Marye's Tip o' the day
If you bring the rotisserie chicken home hot from the store, let it cool as much as possible before cutting it and tossing it in the salad. This will keep the lettuce from wilting.
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- Drain and rinse the black beans in a strainer for best results. Shake them off well to dry so you don't water down the salad.
- When shopping for romaine lettuce, choose tight bunches that feel solid. They shouldn't be wilted or have discoloration on the leaves.
- Try to avoid buying a red onion that has sprouted. Sprouted onions are still edible, but their flavor is a little sharper, and they won't last as long.
- Prefer to use uncooked chicken breasts instead? Check out my guide for seven different ways to cook chicken. (The post talks about using it in a casserole, but you can absolutely use it in BBQ chicken salad, too.)
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
Yep! That's a great way to meal prep for work or school lunches. Layer the dressing on the bottom, then add the chicken, beans, onion, corn, and cheese. Top with the lettuce and chips and store overnight.
Using a heavy chef's knife, remove the legs and separate the thigh, drumstick, and wings. Finally, cut along the breastbone on each side to remove the chicken breast.
Save the carcass for chicken stock. Pull the chicken off the bones, cut it into bite-size pieces, and toss it into the salad!
Yep! Panera's BBQ chicken salad is always a big hit, but you don't always have time to run out to pick some up... and the price tag is a little hefty. This copycat salad is easy to make and budget-friendly.
Yep! Frito corn chips, as well as the rest of the ingredients—usually—are gluten-free. Be sure to check that your BBQ sauce doesn't have flour, as it's sometimes used as a thickener.
Romaine is a good salad lettuce because it's crisp, full of minerals, and mild in flavor. However, you could use another type of salad lettuce if you desire, like a bag of mixed greens, to switch things up.
⏲️ Marye's time saving hacks -
Buy pre-washed lettuce and canned corn to save even more time. You'll cut this recipe down from 10 minutes of prep to 6-8 minutes!
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- Southern Layered Cornbread Salad is easy, packed with veggies, and topped with delicious cornbread cubes and a creamy, tangy dressing.
- If you like the vintage flavor of old potluck dishes, you'll love creamy and crisp Chicken Potato Chip Casserole—also called hot chicken salad!
- Perfect for everything from summer BBQs to quick dinners on a hot night, Texas Pasta Salad with taco meat satisfies the whole family.
🍽️ Perfect pairings: what to serve with
Air Fryer Garlic Bread is effortlessly easy. A buttery, hot slice (or two!) goes perfectly with the flavors of fresh and creamy BBQ chicken salad.
Nothing hits the spot quite like old-fashioned flavor. Southern Fried Apples cook to tender, gooey perfection in under a half hour.
Finish dinner off with some Southern Banana Pudding. It only takes about seven ingredients and 10 minutes of prep. Whip it up before dinner and it'll be set by the time you're ready for dessert.
🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose
I love enjoying BBQ chicken salad as a quick dinner the first night and then using the leftovers as a side the next!
You can go a step further and create nachos or tacos! Simply dump the salad leftovers onto a big cutting board and roughly chop everything up into smaller pieces.
Dollop it into yummy tortillas or scoop it with more chips. Add some extra toppings to make it feel like a completely new dish!
I've also been known to stuff it in warm pita bread for sandwiches - YUM!
📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
I love a delicious salad in the summer and this is absolutely delicious! Quick, easy, cool, and budget-friendly; it checks all the boxes for summer dinners.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
BBQ Chicken Salad
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup Ranch dressing
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- 5 cups cooked rotisserie barbecued chicken, diced
- 24 ounce bag romaine lettuce salad
- 30 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups corn kernels
- 2 cups red onion, sliced in rings
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 4 cups corn chips, Fritos
Instructions
- Mix the Ranch and the barbecue sauce and set aside.
- Add the remaining ingredients, except the corn chips to a bowl.
- Pour the Ranch mixture over and lightly toss until the ingredients are coated with the dressing.
- Gently stir in the corn chips.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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